Van Gisbergen Sets Record: Historic Fourth Victory in NASCAR!

Shane van Gisbergen Continues to Make NASCAR History

Shane van Gisbergen’s most recent victory in NASCAR’s premier series was as historic as it was emotional. The New Zealand driver, with his father present for the first time this year, set a rookie record in the Cup with his fourth win, surpassing the competition at Watkins Glen International.

It’s incredible to have him here. It’s been a very tough year for dad, and he hasn’t been able to travel, so having him here for the next three weeks and sharing this with him, it’s incredible.

Shane van Gisbergen

Van Gisbergen, who competes for Trackhouse Racing, joins Chase Elliott and NASCAR Hall of Famer Jeff Gordon as the only drivers to win four consecutive races on road or street circuits. Unlike his previous victories in Mexico City, Chicago, and Sonoma, van Gisbergen was unable to start from the pole position, qualifying second. However, he knew how to wait for the moment and led for the first time on lap 25 of the 90-lap race, maintaining an impeccable pace on the 2.45-mile circuit.

The 36-year-old driver made his final pit stop with 27 laps to go and took the lead on lap 74 of a clean race, with only three caution flags. Van Gisbergen led the final 17 laps, ahead of Christopher Bell by more than eleven seconds.

I’m a very lucky guy to be able to run for a group of incredible people and just execute. The day was flawless.

Shane van Gisbergen

With five wins in just 38 races in NASCAR’s premier series, van Gisbergen is only behind Elliott (seven wins) and Kyle Larson (six) among active drivers on street or road courses. This victory validates Trackhouse’s decision to extend van Gisbergen’s contract last week. Tied with Denny Hamlin for series wins, van Gisbergen is second in the playoffs, with two races remaining in the regular season. The first round will take place on three oval circuits, where the inexperienced van Gisbergen, who raced exclusively on road and street circuits while winning three championships in Supercars, has an average finishing position of 26.9 this year.

It’s not going to be easy, that’s for sure. The first round, there are some very difficult clues for me, but I’m improving and having fun, and it’s a challenge. That’s why we’re here, and we’ll really try.

Shane van Gisbergen

Other aspects of the career

Chris Buescher, who finished third, increased his lead to 34 points over Ryan Preece in the fight for the last playoff spot. Buescher overtook van Gisbergen on the last lap to win at Watkins Glen last year. His team focused its strategy on accumulating stage points instead of following the victory-oriented strategy used by van Gisbergen. Ty Gibbs had another frustrating race, following an incident with John Hunter Nemechek in the second stage. Joe Gibbs Racing, the director of competition, Chris Gabehart, instructed the driver to stay in the race, after Gibbs questioned his team’s strategy. Gibbs finished in 33rd place and is still winless since moving to the Cup Series, after winning the Xfinity Series championship in 2022. Chase Briscoe, Denny Hamlin, and Bell have qualified for the playoffs with wins this season.

Next race

The Cup Series will race on Saturday at Richmond Raceway, which will host its only NASCAR race weekend this season. The 0.75-mile oval had two annual races on the Cup schedule from 1959 to 2024.